Warp-knitting machine



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J. BRADLEY. WARP KNITTING MACHINE.

" o. 527,934. -Patented O'ct. 23, 1894.

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J. BRADLEY. WARP KNITTING MACHINE.

No. 527,934. Patented Oct. 23, 1894.

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r J. BRADLEY.

WARP KNITTING MACHINE.

No. 527,934. Patented Oct. Z3,l894.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

JOHN BRADLEY, OF NORTH OHELMSFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

WARP-KNITTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 527,934, dated October23, 1894. pp ti n filed January 13, 1894- Serial No. 496.709. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN BRADLEY, of North Ohelmsford, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Warp-Knitting Machines, ofwhich the following isa specification.

This inventionhas relation particularly to cases an additional thread orthreads which run circumferentially of the web, and transversely of thewarp threads, and are interlocked with the other threads of the fabric.The thread mentioned as moving transversely of the warp threads iscommonly termed the weft or filling thread.

It is the object of this invention to provide such improvements inmachines of the kind mentioned as will produce diagonal effects in theknit-cloth, and also result in a fabric of superior quality in otherrespects.

To these ends the invention consists of a warp knitting machine soconstructed as that the warp guides may be intermittingly moved to laythe threads controlled thereby first between certain needles and thenbetween adjacent needles, thus being madeto run-diagonally through theweb, producing diagonal efiects in the goods, and in combining with theforegoing a weft thread or threads run ning diagonally of the warpthreads and interlocked with the same and the regular looping thread orthreads, all as I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Reference is to be had to the annexed drawings and to the letters markedthereon, forming a part of this specification, the same lettersdesignating the same parts or features, as the case may be wherever theyoccur.

Of the drawings-Figure l is a side elevation of a circular spring-beardneedle knitting machine embodying the invention. Fig. 2is a plan view ofthe same. I Fig. 3 is avertical sectional view of certain parts,intended to show the relationship of the warp threads to the needles andone form of means for guiding the same and maintaining them undertension. Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view designed to show one formof means whereby the warp guides and carrier may be shogged or moved soas to lead the warps in the fabric in diagonal order.

In the drawingsa designates a head provided with a circular series ofneedles b, the said head being provided in its lower part with bevelgear-teeth c, whichare engaged by a rotary bevel gear d, whereby thesaid to make the machine capable of producing regular loop knitting fromthe thread or yarn 't'.

j designates a series of warp-carrying spools arranged at regularintervals, around the head and each supported on a bracket 7:: providedwith a pinl extending through the hole in the spool so that the lattermay be rotated as the warp threads m are drawn off. The brackets k areattached to a ring or cylinder n through which at certain points areformed holes 0 which serve as guides for the warp threads ledtherethrough, and thence to the needles.

p designates a gravity warp tension block pivoted at'its outer pointupon an arm or extension got the ring 12. and provided at its innerpoint with aguide eye a" through which the warp yarn m passes. Thegravity of the block serves to keep the warp under the necessarytension, as Will be most clearly understood by an inspectionof Fig. 3.

The warpcarrying ring n is shogged or moved circumferentially thedistance between one, two, or more needles, generally depending upon thenumber of warp yarns used after each row of regular knitting in orderthat the warps may extend diagonally in' the goods and that diagonaleffects may be produced. Various means may be employed to accomplishthis. An efiicient construction is shown in the drawings, wherein thering n is shown as mounted so as to turn on a ledge .9 projectinghorizontally from near the base of the head, and extending around thesame. Ratchet teeth are formed in the periphery of the said ledge and aspring-pressed pawl 25 pivoted upon the outer end of an arm '11., whicharm is in turn pivoted at its inner end upon the ofiset base of the saidring at. The arm, u, has a spiral spring arranged around its pivot withone end connected to the arm and the other to the base of the ring, at,so that normally the said arm, a, will be pressed outward. The springisnot shown, being hidden beneath the pivotal point of the arm.

4) designates the segment ofa ring secured to the base of the machineeccentrically with the needle head and in the path with the outer end ofthe arm n so that as the head is revolved, the said segment u actingupon the said arm as a cam will move it inward and set the ring atbackward a predetermined distance depending upon the position of thesegment q), as will clearly appear from what is portrayed in Fig. 4.

w designates a filling wheel of suitable construction, which is soarranged as to lay a filling or weft yarn cc into the needles, placingit in front of certain of the same, and carrying it over behind others.

y is a wheel co-operating with the filling wheel and acting to carry theweft yarn down on the stems of the needles so that the regular knittingyarn can be carried under the beards of the needles by the stitch wheelabove the weft or filling yarn.

a designates a bladed or winged wheel constructed and arranged to act onthe warps and carry them over the tops of the needles to place, afterthe warp guides have been shogged, as before described.

The filling wheel is of the usual function in machines where a fillingthread is introduced, as before described, and the wheel, y,co-operating with the filling wheel has also a mode of operation similarto that of clearing wheels, and like that of wheels for the same purposewhich are used in connection with filling wheels for carrying a yarnlaid into the needles by the filling wheels down around their stems orshanks. The bladed wheel, .2, acts somewhat in the nature of a commonknocking over wheel; that is to say, it acts upon the warp threads atthe top of the neodles so as to, as it were, knock them over the tops ofthe needles against which the warp threads also press after the warpguides have been shogged.

In operation knitting will be performed in the usual way by the stitchwheel acting upon its yarn from its yarn guide, and by the commondevices acting in connection therewith and the filling wheel will layits yarn into the needles in a well known way, which filling or weftyarn will be depressed by'the wheel y, as hereinbefore described. Thewarps m from their guides will pass into the web between the needles andbe interlocked with the other yarns. As the outer end of the lever upasses the segment 1;, the yarn guide will be set back the distancebetween the two warps at the needles, and so set the warps back andsecure the running of the same into the web in diagonal direction, asmay be clearly understood by viewing Fig. 2. As the warps arrive at thewheel 2 they will be acted upon by the same, as before explained, andproperly positioned with respect to the needles.

It will be observed that by varying the colors of the different yarns, avariety of colored patterns may be produced, and that varying eifectsmay be obtained by shogging the warp-guides first in one and then in theopposite direction.

The cloth produced by the invention, particularly when the regular, theweft, and the warp yarns are employed is of superior texture for manypurposes, such as cloakings, over-coatings, &c.

Various changes may be made in the form and arrangement of the mechanismwithout departing from the nature or spirit of the in Vention.

Having thus explained the nature of the invention and described a way ofconstructing and using the same, though without attempting to set'forthall of the forms in which it may be made or all of the modes of its use,it is declared that what is claimed is 1. The art of knitting warpfabrics which consists in forming the ground fabric in the usual way,interlocking the warp threads with the ground fabric and shifting thewarp threads laterally after each round of knitting to the extent of oneor more rows of loops, as set forth.

2. A warp-knitting machine comprising in its construction needles and co-operating knitting mechanism for producing a ground fabric, movablewarp-guides for guiding the warps into the fabric, and means forshifting the warp-guides after each course of knitting to the extent ofthe distance between two or more needles, as set forth.

3. A warp-knitting machine comprising in its construction needles andco-operating knitting mechanism including a filling wheel to lay in awef t thread, for producing a ground fabric, movable warp guides forguiding the warps into the fabric, and means for shifting the warpguides after each course of knitting to the extent of the distancebetween two or more needles, as set forth.

4:. A. warp-knitting machine comprising in its construction needles andco-operating knitting mechanism for producing a ground fabric, movablewarp-guides for guiding the warps into the fabric, means for shiftingthe warp guides after each course of knitting to the extent of thedistance between two or two subscribing witnesses, this 2d day of moreneedles, and a winged or bladed wheel January, A. D. 1894.

z adaptedto act upon the warp threads and carry them over the tops ofthe needles to JOHN BRADLEY 5 proper place, as set forth. Witnesses:

In testimony whereof I have signed my ARTHUR W. OROSSLEY,

name to this specification, in the presence of A. D. HARRISON.

